Discovering a new (to this reader, at least) author is always fun, and this pedometer geek found one in Mark Rubinstein. Receiving a copy of his novel, The Lovers’ Tango, through a Shelf Awareness giveaway, this reader had the pleasure of reading this latest Advanced Reader Copy (ARC). Here is the extended review.

As the back cover of the novel indicates, Bill Shaw’s life changed the minute he met the beautiful actress Nora Reyes. Once she dies of an overdose, he becomes the prime suspect in her death. Sean Olsen, the district attorney, is out to convict Bill for the murder of his wife especially since there are eerie similarities to the current novel Bill is writing.

A novel within a novel within a novel may sum up Mark Rubinstein’s tale of love, suspense, and murder…IF it is murder. Told through the perspective of the protagonist, author Bill Shaw, this is his story of his intense love for actress Nora Reyes (from the moment they met at a New York party) until her death. Accused of murder, and fighting for his own life in court, Bill tells the tale of the courtroom drama playing out against his own memories of the life he led with his beloved wife.

As witness after witness testify against him including Nora’s sister, Lee, it takes all of his control to sit beside his best friend and personal lawyer Ben Abrams at the defense table. Even his current novel-in-progress, Assassin’s Lullaby, is used as evidence to help prove his intention to kill off his wife, who is slowly dying of MS (multiple sclerosis).

As the trial winds down, will he be convicted of Nora’s murder? Will his Assassin’s Lullaby manuscript be evidence of his murderous intent, making him guilty in the eyes of the jury? Can his lawyer get him off by producing enough reasonable doubt in the minds of the jurors?

Suspenseful action, mesmerizing dialogue, and a compelling love story make for an intense, gripping, can’t-put-it-down read. Learning about the tango and its history is just another reason to read this tale, which has a stunning cover, but I digress.

Quotes to remember:
“Every love story has a tragic ending: either the lovers grow apart or death takes them from each other.” (page 327)
“There are no happily ever afters–least of all, in life.” (page 327)

Based on my first exposure to the writing of the author, I look forward to reading some of his other works in the near future.